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Is it a mortal sin for a Catholic to receive
Holy Communion in the Church if they are
married by a Justice of the Peace?
If so, where in the Bible or the Teachings of the Church does it say this?
If a Catholic couple divorces each other
and one remarries, can that person still
receive Holy Communion?
Can a person who has been baptized and confirmed yet:
does not go to Church
regularly, and
has not been to Confession
receive
Holy Communion?
Troy
{
What is the permissibility of receiving Holy Communion
in these various marital situations? }
Mary
Ann replied:
Dear Troy,
Marriage is the exclusive union of
one man and one woman for life, for
procreation and love.
One may not receive Communion if
one is in a state of grave sin.
As to divorced and remarried Catholics:
ongoing adultery is a serious
sin. Jesus said
that a person who divorces and remarries
commits adultery. (Matthew 19:9, Luke 16:18)
If the first marriage was no
marriage (or found to be null), then
there is no problem, because there
is no adultery.
If the couple lives
as brother and sister, then there
is no sin of adultery and therefore
no problem.
In the case of those married by a
Justice of the Peace, ongoing fornication
(sex without marriage) is a grave
sin. Catholics, because they are
baptized and because Matrimony is
a sacrament of the Church, must
be married according to proper form
(where that is possible), that is,
with an official Catholic witness. If not, then the Catholics are not
married.
The only exception would
be a Catholic who has formally left
the Church, in which case he would
not be considered Catholic and would
not be held to the Catholic standard
for a sacramental marriage. In this
situation, his (or her) marriage
before a Justice of the Peace would
be a real marriage.
Mary Ann
Mike
replied:
Hi, Troy —
A baptized, confirmed Catholic
who does not go to Church regularly
should not receive Holy Communion at Mass without first
going to Confession. [He|She] should
still go to Mass,
but they have to refrain from receiving the Eucharist. In these cases, it is best to say a Spiritual Communion. While the faithful are receiving one can also pray the Rosary which is what I do in these and similar situations.
Spiritual Communion
O Lord Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things, (with all my mind, with all my heart, and with all my soul).
I love you because you are infinitely good and worthy of all my love.
Since I cannot receive You now sacramentally, at least come spiritually into my heart.
I embrace myself entirely to You and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Come Lord Jesus and glorify Yourself through my weak, broken body.
Amen.
Part of the third commandment — to
keep the Lord's Day holy — is
attending Sunday Mass. If one knows
skipping Mass it is a grave matter, which
you now know, it is a mortal
sin and has to be confessed before one can receive Holy Communion.
It's no big deal though; almost all
parishes have Confessions every Saturday,
and you can always call the rectory
ahead of time for a private Confession.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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